End-Stage Alcoholism: Symptoms, Treatment and Life Expectancy

You drink every day, and everything in your life now revolves around alcohol. You will likely lose your job, you’ll have interactions with the police due to your binge drinking, and your relationships with your loved ones may be fractured. You are no longer drinking for pleasure now, but because you feel a physical and psychological need to drink. You crave alcohol and suffer withdrawal symptoms until you can get your next drink.

The feeling of powerlessness is stifling as you watch someone you care about slowly deteriorate physically and mentally while they may even continue to refuse to admit their drinking is problematic. For those who need help and don’t want it, intervention may be the only alternative. When a person has become an alcoholic, they begin to exhibit a variety of behaviors that have a negative impact on their health and personal and professional lives. For example, alcoholics will continue to drink despite it causing them negative consequences. While end-stage alcoholism is a dire situation, it’s not a hopeless one.

Alcohol-Related Liver Disease

At this stage, the person has taken too much of a liking to alcohol. They may drink more frequently each day or drink excessive amounts when drinking socially. Having more than 5 drinks in 2 hours is commonplace (and problematic). This is a comparatively non-threatening level of drinking, which may not always lead to alcohol abuse. This is generally consuming a few drinks when out with friends.

Death is usually caused by a combination of internal bleeding and a buildup of toxins within the body and can include seizures and/or cardiac arrest. Chronic alcohol disorder, meaning excessive alcohol consumption, can literally take years off of your life. On average, end-stage alcoholics have their lives shortened by 30 years due sober house to the diseases that are directly linked to their drinking. We genuinely hope that we gained your full attention with the stages of alcoholism and the end results. The longer you drink, the closer you get to your life ending in death by alcohol. It is a disease marked by excessive alcohol consumption and, eventually, dependence.

Should Families Consider an Intervention if They Have Alcoholic Loved Ones?

They will most likely ignore any and all social conventions, and drink in the daytime, in the morning, alone, at non-alcoholic gatherings, or at work. It can quickly become a cycle of negative alcohol consumption that may be impossible for them to overcome on their own. After detox has been completed, the next step is to enter into a treatment program. Based on your situation, your treatment professional will recommend a course of action and a treatment plan.

End-stage alcoholism is notorious for causing cirrhosis of the liver. This occurs when the liver becomes unable to metabolize alcohol, sending it back to the bloodstream. As a result, the liver begins to harden and become scarred, which is known as cirrhosis. Alcohol affects nearly every part of the body and every major organ.

Can End-Stage Alcoholism Be Treated?

With his non-judgmental, patient, and empathetic approach, Bill continuously serves to encourage patients to reach their full potential. Health conditions caused by end stage alcoholism can include fatigue, malnutrition, jaundice, heart failure, anemia, alcohol dementia, and cirrhosis. When the liver can no longer metabolize the alcohol quickly enough, it will send it back into the bloodstream. The severity of early-stage alcoholism varies widely among individuals but generally increases over time. It doesn’t start causing harm until it results in frequent intoxication or withdrawal symptoms. Watching a loved one endure the end stages of alcoholism can be frustrating and lonely.

One of the biggest misconceptions about alcoholism is that it takes a long time to take effect. Many believe that serious health concerns about alcoholism require years of drinking before a full addiction and alcoholism can occur. They may begin to experience legal trouble resulting from incidents like public intoxication or drinking and driving. If any of these symptoms are things you or a loved one has experienced, your drinking habits may already be cause for concern. The more symptoms you’ve had, the more likely it is you’ve become physically dependent on alcohol.

Thankfully, there are many resources available to find help for…. Elizabeth received her law degree from the UCLA School of Law. Most recently she completed post-graduate work for her Public Accounting Certification. She is admitted to practice law in California, New York and numerous federal courts.

• There are many different stages when it comes to alcoholism, each with its own set of mental and physical side effects and ailments.
• The curve turns upward after the last stage into the rehabilitation stage.
• Our compassionate, friendly staff is available 24-hours a day to take your call and help you begin your recovery journey.
• Throughout his career, Mr. Collier has committed himself to providing hospital based acute care treatment for those suffering from addictions and related illness.
• They may even begin experiencing early stages of withdrawal symptoms when not drinking.